According to LH Labs, the high-definition DAC features an amplifier ten times more powerful than your typical laptop amplifier, so should mean you can play music louder without compromising on the clarity of the audio.

The Geek Out comes with two headphone jacks and '3D audio technology' that claims to emulate the way your ears hear. The product comes in four colours – black, silver, blue and red.

It is the first in a new line of consumer electronics products manufactured by LH Labs. The company has taken much of the technology that had been developed by Light Harmonic for the Da Vinci DAC and used it in the Geek Out. It costs $199 (plus $45 for non-US residents) and will ship this spring.

Other products set to follow include the Geek Pulse, a high-definition DAC and headphone amp ($499) and Geek Blue, a Bluetooth component that lets you stream audio wirelessly ($249). Both will ship from May.

Meanwhile, the LightSpeed Jr USB cable is also due to follow in May – a USB cable that claims a bandwidth of 1GB per second. It will retail for $99 and will be available outside the US for an extra $10.